Gluten Free Cacio E Pepe - A Low FODMAP Recipe

Hands down the best gluten free cacio e pepe recipe you'll ever make!Years ago, I worked in a well known Italian restaurant owned by a celebrity chef in New York City's SoHo neighborhood. Working alongside some seriously talented chefs for a few years, I picked up some great pasta recipes that I keep in my back pocket, like this gluten free cacio e pepe recipe. Cacio e pepe is one of those recipes that I made twice, committed to memory and now make whenever we're in the mood for a quick, easy, comforting bowl of pasta, which this year was a lot!I've been making homemade gluten free pasta a lot lately and cacio e pepe is my all time favorite sauce to make. All you need to make this low FODMAP recipe is a little grass fed butter, fresh black peppercorns, salt, olive oil, and parmesan cheese and you'll be in cheesy, peppery heaven in just minutes! When I first learned to make gluten free cacio e pepe, the "recipe" was more of just suggested measurements, so as I've been making cacio e pepe over the years I've been writing down measurements, tweaking, and adjusting to my personal preference. I love the heat of black pepper, so I personally stick with the 40 cracks of black pepper chef taught me to make cacio e pepe with, but if you're not so into the heat, I find that dropping that down to 30 cracks of fresh black pepper still gives you that peppery flavor without being too "hot".When I was in the low FODMAP elimination phase of the diet, I would make cacio e pepe using zucchini noodles or shiritaki noodles while I was determining how my body tolerated grains. Most gluten free pastas are made using grains like corn or rice and while I know I can tolerate them now, to make this a full on low FODMAP recipe during the elimination phase, I experimented a bit with noodle options so I could keep enjoying one of my absolute favorite recipes!Here is what you need to make gluten free cacio e pepe:Gluten Free Pasta: Traditionally, cacio e pepe is made using tonnarelli pasta, but spaghetti or linguine are more easily accessible, especially for gluten free cacio e pepe. Feel free to use penne, fusilli, or any of your favorite pasta shapes for this recipe. Anything goes!Parmesan Cheese: I like to grate mine fresh, especially because you avoid any fillers that can typically be found in pre-grated parmesan cheese. This makes for a much more low FODMAP friendly recipe, but if you don't have the patience to grate yourself, look for the freshest possible pre-grated parmesan. Just promise me you won't buy that shelf stable stuff in the green container! Gut friendly it is not!Fresh Black Peppercorns: Arguably the most important ingredient in gluten free cacio e pepe are the fresh black peppercorns. You'll also need a pepper grinder as you will grind the peppercorns fresh into the pan to toast them, which releases more of their flavors into the gluten free cacio e pepe. Just be careful you're not leaning into the pan; the black peppercorns become very fragrant when toasting and can cause lots of coughing + sneezing if you get up too close! Pepper Grinder: Since we are using fresh black peppercorns, you'll definitely be needing a pepper grinder in order to properly incorporate the pepper into the gluten free cacio e pepe. If you don't have one and are dying to try this low FODMAP recipe, you can use ground black pepper, but I have found that it just does not pack the same flavor punch as fresh ground peppercorns do.Grass Fed Butter: I always choose grass fed butter for all of my recipes, but you can use vegan butter in your gluten free cacio e pepe if you have an intolerance to dairy of any kind. Butter has a very low lactose level and is low FODMAP friendly, but if you are sensitive to even a little bit of lactose then you can absolutely sub in your alternative butter of choice. Ghee also works well, just note that it will alter the flavor profile of the cacio e pepe slightly.